Photo by Peter Finney Jr. | CLARION HERALD Principals and presidents of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans have been meeting for more than a year in the strategic planning process. The final plan should be completed by the end of October.

More than three decades of shrinking family size and changes in society have affected Catholic schools nationally and locally. Hurricane Katrina also reduced the number of schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 105 to 85, and with fewer school-age children living in the metropolitan area, the Catholic school system has seen decreased enrollment.